1Sha’ul, a called emissary of יהושע Messiah by the desire of Elohim, and brother Sosthenes,

2to the assembly of Elohim which is at Corinth, to those who are set-apart in Messiah יהושע, called set-apart ones, with all those calling on the Name of יהושע Messiah our Master in every place, theirs and ours:

3Favour to you and peace from Elohim our Father and the Master יהושע Messiah.

4I thank my Elohim always concerning you for the favour of Elohim which was given to you by Messiah יהושע,

5that in Him you were enriched in all – in every word and all knowledge –

6as the witness of Messiah was confirmed in you,

7so that you are not lacking in any gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Master יהושע Messiah,

8who shall also confirm you to the end, unreprovable in the day of our Master יהושע Messiah.

9Elohim is trustworthy, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, יהושע Messiah our Master.

10And I appeal to you, brothers, by the Name of our Master יהושע Messiah, that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be knit together in the same mind and in the same opinion.

11For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by those of the house of Chloe, that there are strifes among you.

12What I mean is this, that each one of you says, “I am of Sha’ul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Kĕpha,” or “I am of Messiah.”

13Has the Messiah been divided? Was Sha’ul impaled for you? Or were you immersed in the name of Sha’ul?

14I thank Elohim that I immersed not one of you except Crispus and Gaios,

15that no one should say that I immersed into my own name.

16Now I did also immerse the household of Stephanas. For the rest, I do not know whether I immersed anyone else.

17For Messiah did not send me to immerse, but to bring the Good News, not with wisdom of words, that the stake of Messiah should not be nullified.

18For the word of the stake is indeed foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of Elohim.

19For it has been written, “I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise, and set aside the learning of the learned ones.”# Isa. 29:14#See Mat. 11:25; Rom. 1:22

20Where is the wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not Elohim made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21For since, in the wisdom of Elohim, the world through wisdom did not know Elohim, it pleased Elohim through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

22And since Yehuḏim ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

23yet we proclaim Messiah impaled, to the Yehuḏim a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness,

24but to those who are called – both Yehuḏim and Greeks – Messiah the power of Elohim and the wisdom of Elohim.

25For the foolishness of Elohim is wiser than men, and the weakness of Elohim is stronger than men.

26For look at your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.

27But Elohim has chosen the foolish matters of the world to put to shame the wise, and Elohim has chosen the weak of the world to put to shame the strong.

28And Elohim has chosen the low-born of the world and the despised, and the ones that are not, that He might bring to naught the ones that are,

29so that no flesh should boast in His presence.

30And of Him you are in Messiah יהושע, who became for us wisdom from Elohim, righteousness also, and set-apartness and redemption,

31that, as it has been written, “He who boasts, let him boast in יהוה.”# Jer. 9:23, 24

1Greetings from Paul. I was chosen to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. God chose me because that is what he wanted. Greetings also from Sosthenes, our brother in Christ.

2To God’s church in Corinth, you who have been made holy because you belong to Christ Jesus. You were chosen to be God’s holy people together with all people everywhere who trust in the Lord#1:2 who trust in the Lord Literally, “who call on the name of the Lord,” meaning to show faith in him by worshiping or praying to him for help. Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.

3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

4I always thank my God for you because of the grace that he has given you through Christ Jesus. 5In him you have been blessed in every way. You have been blessed in all your speaking and all your knowledge. 6This proves that what we told you about Christ is true. 7Now you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. 8He will keep you strong until the end so that on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes, you will be free from all blame. 9God is faithful. He is the one who has chosen you to share life with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Stop Arguing With Each Other

10Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg all of you to agree with each other. You should not be divided into different groups. Be completely joined together again with the same kind of thinking and the same purpose.

11My brothers and sisters, some members of Chloe’s family told me that there are arguments among you. 12This is what I mean: One of you says, “I follow Paul,” and someone else says, “I follow Apollos.” Another says, “I follow Peter,”#1:12 Peter Literally, “Cephas,” the Aramaic name for Peter, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. Both names mean “rock.” Also in 3:22; 9:6; 15:5. and someone else says, “I follow Christ.” 13Christ cannot be divided into different groups. It wasn’t Paul who died on the cross for you, was it? Were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. 15I am thankful because now no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I also baptized the family of Stephanas, but I don’t remember that I myself baptized any others.) 17Christ did not give me the work of baptizing people. He gave me the work of telling the Good News. But he sent me to tell the Good News without using clever speech, which would take away the power that is in the cross#1:17 cross Paul uses the cross as a picture of the Good News, the story of Christ’s death to pay for people’s sins. The cross (Christ’s death) was God’s way to save people. of Christ.

God’s Power and Wisdom in Christ Jesus

18The teaching about the cross seems foolish to those who are lost. But to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.

I will confuse the understanding of the intelligent.” Isaiah 29:14

20So what does this say about the philosopher, the law expert, or anyone in this world who is skilled in making clever arguments? God has made the wisdom of the world look foolish. 21This is what God in his wisdom decided: Since the world did not find him through its own wisdom, he used the message that sounds foolish to save those who believe it.

22The Jews ask for miraculous signs, and the Greeks want wisdom. 23But this is the message we tell everyone: Christ was killed on a cross. This message is a problem for Jews, and to other people it is nonsense. 24But Christ is God’s power and wisdom to the people God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. 25Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. Even the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26Brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his. Think about that! Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence, and not many of you came from important families. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28And God chose what the world thinks is not important—what the world hates and thinks is nothing. He chose these to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29God did this so that no one can stand before him and boast about anything. 30It is God who has made you part of Christ Jesus. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in his presence. Christ is the one who set us free from sin. 31So, as the Scriptures say, “Whoever boasts should boast only about the Lord.”#Quote from Jer. 9:24.